Child's Day
by MistressOfRobins
Summary: Young Richard Wayne-Grayson insists on going to his best friend, Wally West-Allen's, birthday party, much to an overprotective Batdad's chagrin. Family fluff, friendship fluff. Kid!YJ. Part of "The Child Series."
1. Part: I

**AN: **Hiii, guys! *hugs former readers/reviewers of the Child Series*! I have missed you guys soooo much! :D Here is another addition to my Child Universe! This was originally going to be posted on Wally's Birthday, January 16th... As you can see; I'm a bit behind schedule... Oh well, I do hope you guys enjoy either way.

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Info: **This is _not_ set on Earth-16 canon verse. It's my own little universe and is the fourth part of what I have called "The Child Series." The other three are named: "Child's Gift," "Child's Mind" & "Child's Play". Please do read those as well.

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><p><strong>Child's Day<strong>

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><p><strong>Part: I<strong>

**-o-**

Gotham City, 2004

**-o-**

There were many things the Batman, main protector of Gotham City, could defeat. No matter what situation he always pulled through, always remained victorious. His life had brought with more than just physical scars, but nevertheless he was still alive and breathing; he was a victor. Yet, there were certain things not even the Caped Crusader could overcome.

And, at this very moment, there was such an obstacle before him. Big, teary eyes, gleaming ever so brightly, were currently severing all forms for self-discipline. Bruce rubbed his temple, feeling his determination wither under that adorable, pleading face of his adopted son.

Richard Wayne Grayson's lower lip was shaping into a small pout and Bruce sighed. "Dick… I don't know…" The billionaire scratched the back of his neck lightly. "… I am still not comfortable about anyone knowing of your secret identity, save for the few Leaguers who know mine and going to this party…"

"B-but, Wally's _eight_, Daddy! I _got to go_! And everyone that is gonna come are superheroes!" Dick looked devastated; his eyes seemingly growing even bigger. Frankly, Bruce hadn't thought that was possible. Why did that face have such an effect on him? "He's countin' on me! I have to be there; he's my bestest friend and I would be a bad friend if I'm not there!"

Pursing his lips, Bruce kneeled down by his five-year-old child. Dick was such a good kid, so denying him this just seemed wrong. Yet, he was protective. Children didn't always know when to hold their tongue; if Wally got to know his best friend's identity and spilled at the wrong place at the wrong time…

The consequences made him shudder.

"_Pleeeease_, Daddy," Dick sniffled, and now his eyes really were teary – _very_ teary. He wrapped his arms around his father's strong neck, standing on his tiptoes even though Bruce had kneeled. "I _got to_. I promise I'll be good. I promise! I can use sunglasses! We can both, right? Both of us!"

He supposed that if they both made sure to shield their faces, he could accept. Although he, himself, had rarely been to anyone's birthday party, the look on Dick's face made him realise it was a big deal to a child. It didn't mean he liked agreeing, but it was the right thing to do. Dick deserved to have an eventful evening with his best friend.

Giving in, Bruce picked up his son and pressed the five-year-old child to his chest. Dick cheered gleefully when hearing the good news and instantly hugged Bruce tighter. "Thanks, Daddy! We need to buy him the awesomest present ever!" Gaining this comment the Caped Crusader only sighed; he knew Dick would not let him rest until they had a neatly wrapped gift for one Wally West-Allen.

And it was due to his son's request that Bruce Wayne found himself at Gotham City's greatest shopping centre the day after. Dick was tugging on his arm to the extent that he earnestly felt afraid he'd lose it – the young boy was stronger than he looked like. "Dick, calm down, and tell me quietly where you want to go," Bruce instructed with a stern voice.

"Toy store, toy store!" Dick said, his grin brilliant as he tugged on the sleeve of Bruce's dress-jacket. Hearing this, the Dark Knight felt rather ignorant for asking such when their destination had been so obvious. He could only blame it on his lack of coffee; Dick had forced him out of bed before he had the chance to consume his regular morning drink.

In a slower pace than Dick really appreciated, the two of them ventured through the building. Bruce watched a bit fondly as the young boy bounced up beside him, never once letting go of his adoptive father's hand. As they kept going, Dick talked of how excited he was about the upcoming evening.

"Hey, Daddy! Can we bring balloons? Wally loves balloon! Miss Mona blew one up in the classroom and he made sure that no one else got it! Artemis got mad so she tried to kick him; she's not very nice to Wally!" Dick's eyes turned curious as he glanced up at Bruce's face. "Hey, Daddy, does girls really have cooties? Wally acts like they have!"

A smirk formed on Bruce's lips and the muscular man squeezed his son's hand softly. He found it rather humorous that such a childlore still existed. "No, Dick. You can safely touch a girl without getting cooties."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"But Wally doesn't like them."

Bruce snorted lightly. "Oh, I'm sure that will change when he gets older."

The young acrobat tilted his head to the side, but before he had the chance to question further his eyes found the entrance of the toy store. This caused him to cheer once more. He let go of Bruce's hand, which the Bat allowed. They were too close to the store for Dick to get lost and with his sharp eyes – despite the lack of his morning coffee – he was not worried.

It was hard to fathom how anyone managed to work at a place like a shop that sold toys. Already after being in there for ten minutes with an overjoyed Dick, Bruce wished to smash every noisy device the store was selling. He also found it rather peeving that there were Batman merchandise filling the shelves. Last time he checked, the Batman himself had not given permission for any of them being produced.

Then again, suing people who made superhero clothing, toys, devices… well, it wasn't his style, nor any other hero's either. As crazy as it may seem, the Justice League had more serious matters to tend to than complaining about their rights to decide whether they should be printed on a lunchbox or not.

"So," Bruce spoke up as Dick was looking big-eyed around in the superhero section. "Have you decided what to give him?"

The young boy shook his head, frowning. Dick was intelligent enough to leave out anything related to the Flash. Wally's biggest idol was his own father, yes, but if there was one thing he would never miss out on it was a Flash toy, a T-shirt or anything else. Thus, Dick, smart as he was, had concluded Wally possessed all merchandise ever made for Central's number one hero.

"He needs something special!" Dick said, eyes serious and determined.

Bruce shrugged. "You know him the best, Dick."

That was true; he and Wally had been friends for months now and Bruce could tell the boys had formed a very strong friendship. It worried him, but at the same time he was thoroughly happy that Dick was going through essential factors of a child's life, despite having become his future-to-be sidekick.

"I know!" Dick beamed. "Goggles!"

Bruce frowned. "Goggles?"

"KF doesn't have the yellow ones he had before! They broke!"

"I doubt you'll find those kind of goggles here, Dick."

"Oh…" the young boy's face fell a bit, before he grinned and latched himself onto his father's arm, grinning from ear to ear. "Daddy, you can _make_ some."

At this the billionaire raised an eyebrow. "Make some?" he repeated.

"Yes!" Dick lowered his voice and said: "You make batarangs and-and grappling hooks, and _so_ many other stuff! You can make Wally goggles! Can't you, Daddy? _Pleeeease_?"

And there came the eyes again – those big, dark blue orbs off pure cuteness that gave hope that world peace could someday exist. Bruce knew that if he said 'no' now his child would be saddened beyond repair. Dick truly wanted to give his best friend a new couple of goggles; special made for the young speedster.

Sighing, Bruce gave Dick the 'ok', which in turn made the young boy's face lit up like a sun. Needless to say, he was not surprised when Dick once more took hold of Bruce's sleeve, for so to tug him back out again. The billionaire could not help but feel a bit sour that the tour had been for nothing; yet, Dick's smiling face was rubbing off on him.

**-o-**

Central City, 2004

**-o-**

Dick was an energetic child; loud and very active. Yet, Bruce could honestly say he had not seen the child as happy and excited as now. The boy's hands were tightly folded around the wrapped gift as they walked down the streets of Central City; they had teleported to their destination through the various zeta tubes the Justice League used. Normally, Batman didn't feel quite comfortable using anything League related when he did not don a cape, but considering that both he and Dick were disguised with sunglasses he supposed it was an exception.

Although they were going to a birthday party, both Bruce and Dick were wearing casual clothing that could not, in any way, be associated with the billionaire and his son, Richard Wayne Grayson. Now, Bruce would not profess that he was _enjoying_ the feel of these light, plain clothes on him, but it was more than bearable. After all, he did run around in his Batsuit, which did weight quite a lot. It was an effort in itself to put it on every night.

They were also both dressed in thick coats. Central City was cold this crispy January afternoon.

As they got closer to the centre of Central, which was necessary to cross to get to Barry's house, Bruce took hold of his soon-to-be six-year-old son and hoisted him up so he was now seated on Bruce's strong shoulders. Not only was he well trained for it not to strain him, but Dick was light, which made it easy.

"Yay!" the boy cheered, but without raising his hands like he usually did. They were still held tightly onto the gift.

Bruce let go of a slight chuckle as a response.

Outside of Wally's home big bouquets of balloons were lined up by the railing that led up to the front door. Dick pointed excitedly at them; since he hadn't attended these kind of birthday parties in his life, everything was new and, obviously, thrilling. "Off, off, off!" was all the young aerial artist could utter due to excitement.

His adoptive father complied by removing him from his shoulders. As soon as his tiny feet hit the ground, Dick was sprinting toward the entrance, though making sure that the gift did not fall from his grip.

Wally West Allen's green eyes were bright as the stars themselves when he eagerly opened the door to the Allen household. He was dressed in a small, yellow shirt that matched his fiery red hair and light jeans; he also wore noticeable, red gloves that reminded Dick of the ones he possessed when he was in his Kid Flash uniform.

"Wally!" Dick exclaimed happily, his small hands instantly shooting out to show the redhead his neatly wrapped gift. The wrapping paper was dark blue with the Superman 'S' shield adorning it. Bruce hadn't been all that amused when Dick had pleaded for them to buy it, but those sparkling eyes usually got it their way.

"Robbie!" Wally was so eager that Bruce caught the kid slightly vibrating as he quickly took Dick by the hand and jumped up and down eagerly. "You came! You came! You came! This is so cool! All the others are here too and Mom's been making the best stuff ever! Oh is that my gift, thanks!"

Bruce was not surprised that the little speedster helped himself to the gift; he became a bit fascinated by the way Dick seemed happy about it though. Usually, Richard didn't appreciate anyone snapping things from him, that even included Bruce and Alfred some times, but Wally seemed to be a clear exception.

Suddenly, the redhead seemed to have forgotten his gift and his tugging of Dick's sleeve. Instead he blinked up at Bruce who now came closer. The green eyes widened somewhat, showing off confusion. Then Dick pointed and grinned: "Hey, it's just Batman. You don't have to be scared!"

This caught the older child's attention. "I'm not scared!" claimed the speedster sourly.

Dick just continued to grin. "You _so_ are, Wally!"

They both stuck their tongue out at one another, before the freckled teen grinned a bit sheepishly up at the silent Batman. "You can come in now!" he announced, grabbing Dick by the hand again before tugging the younger boy inside. Bruce merely rolled his eyes and followed after, closing the door behind himself.

"Bats! I can't believe you're actually stepping inside my house; I'm honoured!"

Sighing, Bruce looked unimpressed as Barry came walking toward him, the Scarlet Speedster dressed almost identically as his son, though with a red shirt instead of yellow and without gloves. He grinned as he crossed his arms, eyeing the Caped Crusader whose hands were buried deep down in his pockets. Bruce looked like he wanted to be anywhere else than at the Allen Household at the moment.

"Don't make me regret coming here even more, Allen," Bruce warned, his Batman voice still in tact.

This only gained him a chuckle, which was, honestly, not what he'd been aiming for. Nevertheless, he was pleased when Barry didn't come any closer. The speedster merely shrugged his shoulders, before gesturing toward the open door that seemingly led to the rest of the party. "After you, Bats."

Bruce was tempted to give a snarky remark, but only steadied his glasses, which Barry found ridiculous. Most of the Leaguers knew of the Batman's identity by now, so it was really paranoid of the Bat to believe Wally wouldn't know sooner or later. Granted, Barry never revealed any of his colleagues' secret without their permission, but Wally was his son – keeping the identity of his best friend a secret wouldn't last long.

Barry showed Bruce to the living room where most of the Leaguers were gathered (this being: Martian Manhunter, Zatara, Wonder Woman, Black Canary, both Green Lanterns, Green Arrow, Superman and the Hawks), and also some other heroes Batman recognised. Whilst Bruce tried not to count the seconds up until the moment they would leave, Wally had pulled Dick to the small lounge on the first floor.

It had used to be an office, but since neither Iris, nor Barry took much use of it anymore they had fixed it up and put in two sofas, an old TV with a game station, and several tables. The room was decorated with balloons, and the floor was filled with board games, already smashed balloons and other kinds of toys.

Dick didn't find any Flash merchandise in the room though; he guessed Wally had locked them away for no one to find.

He instantly recognised the children; Superboy, Aqualad, Miss Martian, Wonder Girl, Zatanna, Artemis, Beast Boy, Aquagirl, Tempest, and Roy. He hadn't expected anything else, because these were whom Kid Flash were the closest to. They looked up, some greeting him and some too preoccupied with themselves to notice.

Then, quickly, Wally tugged Dick over to a table loaded with gifts. The five-year-old looked in awe, the bright wrapped presents and the amount, of course, mesmerising him; he was still not used to it. Although his circus family loved him, the presents hadn't been this big, nor that many either when he'd lived there. Economically that hadn't been possible.

Despite that, it wasn't totally rare anymore. Not after moving into Wayne Manor where presents always filled up the room when his birthday arrived. Alfred had scolded his charge for that (but not too harshly); the old butler claimed that Bruce Wayne was spoiling his son with all the gifts he'd received the two birthdays (and Christmases) Dick had lived at the manor. It wasn't all that far from the truth, but Bruce didn't _completely_ overdo it… According to himself anyway.

Wally put the wrapped gift on the table, pouting slightly. "Mommy says I have to wait. I don't get that; I want to open them _now_. I mean, come on, it's not making any difference, _right_?" The redhead looked at his younger best friend for support, which was easily granted by a big nod.

Dick always agreed with Wally. Because Wally was _always_ right. Always.

The two children shrugged their shoulders, because trying to understand adults was nearly impossible. Happily, Wally pulled Dick along, like always, as the two children looked around in the room. They quickly sat down by Superboy and Roy who were just about to start the brand new Justice League: Brawl Playstation 2 game.

"I'm gonna be Superman," Conner steadfastly said, eyes determined.

"Green Arrow."

"Flash!" Wally proudly declared.

"Batman!"

The kids exchanged grins, not the least surprised by each other's choices. They thought the other heroes were cool – Captain Atom for instance, and Uncle Hal; he was _awesome_ – but none could live up to their idols. And playing with them during video games was like a challenge of whose daddy was better.

Wally, having Control 1, picked first, followed by the other three boys. They had barely time to start the game, however, before Iris stuck her head out through the door, a big smile on her face. "Kiiids, we're ready for pizza and cake in here!"

Of course, those were the magic keywords. Hurriedly, the children rose and left their activities, instantly turning their destination to the kitchen. Iris held up her hand and announced for them to find their seats, which were marked with Flash place cards. Roy, however, crossed his arms. As the oldest and being nearly _ten_, he refused to eat by the children's table.

"Roy," Dinah sternly warned, causing the redheaded boy to shrink back a little.

"But-!"

Her look silenced him.

"There's an age limit at sixteen for joining the adult's table, I'm afraid, kiddo," Green Arrow said, playfully ruffling the fiery hair. The young boy glared up at his father, but didn't say anything more as Ollie pushed him toward the table and said: "Sit beside your sister now and be nice."

When the redhead sat down, he noticed Wally was slightly glaring at him, arms crossed. "You think you're too big for being my friend?" he asked; he looked like he was trying to be mad, but the hurt shone through. Wally was an emotional kid, so that was not very surprising.

Roy suddenly looked a bit resentful. "That wasn't what I meant," he mumbled, though he did send Beast Boy – who was already starting to put the straws inside of his nose – a nasty glance. Roy was proud and sharing table with _some_ of these kids was rather beneath him. Or so the nine-year-old claimed.

"Guys," giggled Donna and pointed. "Look at Gar!"

"Urgh, that's disgusting!" Artemis stuck out her tongue and Zatanna just laughed silently beside her.

Iris put two fingers inside of her mouth, whistling to get the children's attention. Once done, she crossed her arms with a big smile and said: "All right kids, I'll say we open the presents before eating, you agree? Now, I want everyone to go and get their present and put it on the table. I'm gonna wrap a blindfold over Wally's eyes and when he can't see anything I will go around and point at each and one of you. He will say either 'yes' or 'no'. In the end, all presents will be opened." Iris winked. "All superheroes got that clear?"

The kids smirked, minus Roy who still meant he was too old for these sort of things, and soon everyone but Wally had dashed out to get their gift. Meanwhile, Iris wrapped the fold around her son, smiling and kissing his cheek. "Ew, Mom! Stop it!" Wally complained, blushing.

Iris just chuckled, but made sure to let her son keep his pride as the others came back. Artemis and Roy had bought a gift together, so the younger of the two placed the red wrapped gift on the table. Wally's urged to take a look at the presents again, but he didn't dare to try peek through the cloth wrapped around his forehead. Artemis, Zatanna and Donna would hit him if he did.

He heard his mother move around the table and then she said: "Yes or no, Wally?"

"Yes!"

"That's boring, Wally! You can't say yes at _once_."

"Can so, Arty-farty!"

"Hey, kids, no insults!" Iris sternly said. "It's Wally's birthday and he wants to open the first gift. It's fair."

"Yay!"

Gently, Iris draped the cloth over Wally's head and smiled. The redhead instantly received Conner's gif, which was placed on the right side of him. "Thank you!" he beamed; Conner just smiled a bit shyly. He never liked giving gifts because he was worried what people would think of them.

It didn't seem that he had anything to concern himself with. Inside laid a new pair of headphones and with lightning bolts. They were just stickers that was glued to the black surface of them, but it was still rather well done. Wally beamed like a sun and looked at Conner with sparkling green eyes. Consider he'd gotten an MP3-player for Christmas; these were _perfect_.

"They're _awesome_; thank you, Con!"

The Kryptonian blushed and glanced a bit away, but smiled nonetheless. Wally decided he would give him a real good hug later on. Thanking once more for the gift, Wally let his mother wrap the cloth around his head again, covering his eyes.

Most of the adults had now entered the room just to observe the gift opening.

"All right Wally, try not being so impatient now, right, dear?" Iris silently laughed as she started rounding the table again. This time she made sure to go the other way. Dick was a bit disappointed she didn't stop by him; he longed to give Wally the gift he and Bruce had made for the speedster.

Iris pointed at Artemis. "No," Wally said.

The redheaded woman continued and stopped several places; after saying 'no' two times, Wally was ready to accept the next gift. And so it went several times, each gift triggering excitement in the young eight-year-old. Then, it was finally Dick's turn. The brunet shook in anticipation as he handed Wally his present.

The superman wrapping was quickly peeled off, Wally now so curious as to what his best friend had given him that super speed was a must. The special made goggles came into view. Bright red, with yellow lightning bolts on the sides. They were made to protect the young boy's eyes, as well, as it possessed a few beneficial bonuses. Like, for instance, infrared vision.

Green eyes looked at the gift, big and full of gleam. Quickly, he took hold of them and put them on, his grin wider than Dick could ever remember it being. He blushed deeply when Wally tackled him to the ground, hugging him and saying how awesome the gift was.

"Dad, this is so cool! I can see _inside the wall_!" he eagerly told.

Barry just smiled, and Dick sent his own father a look that clearly expressed to Bruce how thankful he was. This, unexpectedly enough, caused the billionaire to smile as well. Seeing Allen's kid so happy wasn't the worst thing he'd witnessed in his life to put it mildly.

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><p><strong>This is going to be a Two-shot<strong>, most likely. Please review, put me on author alert, story alert, etc! I love you guys! My writer's block is lifting by each review! :D


	2. Part: II

******Info: ******This is _not_ set on Earth-16 canon verse. It's my own little universe and is the fourth part of what I have called "The Child Series." The other three are named: "Child's Gift," "Child's Mind" & "Child's Play". Please do read those as well.

**Note: ** This story doesn't have a beta and I was exhausted when proofreading, so _please_, if you find any typos, mistakes, whatever - be free to point them out. I'll edit as soon as possible.

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><p><strong>Child's Day<strong>

**Part: II**

**-o-**

Gotham City, 2004

**-o-**

Bruce was most aware that he didn't have to glance over at his son every other second, but it was hard not to when he had the chance. The others were talking to him a bit too much for his liking, thus he was practically _forced_ to be social whether he accepted it or not. He remained rather quiet during dinner though, having slight, mixed feelings about combining pizza and drinking wine, plus having such 'good times' with the people he _worked_ with. Well, most he worked with. How he was ever going to make the Doom Patrol members, Mento and Elasti-Woman, fear The Batman now he had no idea.

He felt _naked_ without the cape on to put it nicely.

Therefore, he made sure to excuse himself to check on the kids more than what could possibly be necessary. Especially when the cake and everything had been consumed by the hungry mouths and the to-be-sidekicks had once again slipped into their little playroom. As he glanced inside, Bruce's eyes landed on his precious son. He was playing so happily with the other kids.

Dick's glasses remained on and it made something in him stir. He ripped his gaze from the children and leaned against the wall beside the door. He sighed, laced his fingers through his hair and looked up at the ceiling. Was he being too paranoid? Did he want Dick to grow up with so many secrets?

Wally was just a kid… And he was the boy's best friend…

Loving someone as much as he did Dick really clouded his judgement, didn't it? Wally's dad was the Flash; nothing could be safer. And those kids in there-

Bruce glanced once more through the door to the lounge.

Those kids right there; they were innocent and they would be Dick's future colleagues. Their parents were respectable, talented heroes. What was he afraid of, really?

Bruce sighed once more, and then let his gaze move to the corner of his eyes. He knew Barry had appeared about a second ago. The speedster tended to be quiet when he wanted to, but he was _the_ _Batman_. He knew.

Barry approached the door, his green eyes looking over the happy kids playing inside the lounge. He smiled softly, and Bruce knew his gaze was following Wally who was wrestling with Roy; the older seemed to be having the upper hand. With a content sigh, the speedster swept his gaze over to the Bat.

"You know, he isn't going to be kidnapped in my house, Bats," Barry said with a small grin.

Bruce didn't answer and instead casually put his hands in his pocket. "What did you give Wally for his birthday?"

Barry sent him a puzzled look. That certainly wasn't like Bruce; the man despised chit-chat. Now, that was a well-known fact for those who knew his true self and not the persona he put on for Gotham's inhabitants.

"An improved Kid Flash suit; this one even better than mine. He's gotten some shoulder pads and body protectors. Kid likes using himself as a human cannonball far too often," Barry answered with a slight tug of his lips. "Then some other things… Like a new DVD film, Iris bought him some new clothes… Why do you ask?"

Sighing silently, Bruce briefly shrugged his shoulders. "No reason." He knew his fast colleague was studying him and after a long while with heavy silence, Bruce continued to speak. "How long have we known each other, Allen?"

"Long enough for you to start calling me Barry," the Flash answered with a smirk. This earned him a glare, which was to be expected by the Batman himself. He didn't appreciate cockiness directed toward him; now that was for sure. The protector of Central cleared his throat and then said: "Well, let's see… you started dressing up like a Bat for about eleven years ago, and met me…"

"Forget I asked," Bruce grumbled. Last thing he needed was a reminder that he had passed the dreaded thirty and now forty would come closer for each year that passed. At least Dick would get his mind off of such.

The Dark Knight was silent for a coupe of seconds. He frowned; thought. He had known Barry for a long time and if there was any woman that deserved his trust it was Barry's wife, Iris. The more he debated inside his head, the more he realised that he could – and should have a long time ago – let Wally know. Know of Dick's real identity.

"When do you think the others will leave?" questioned Bruce quietly.

Barry shrugged. "In about an hour?" the speedster guessed. He had given up adding 'why?' at the end of his sentences. The Batman would not give him a clarified answer anyway.

"All right," was all Bruce said.

**-o-**

Dick was with Wally when he waved goodbye to all his guests, who all left one by one. Although the speedster had so much energy that bidding the others goodbye was a difficult feat, Wally managed to stay in the same place until everyone but Dick had left the household. As soon as Clark, Conner and Lois had closed the front door behind them, Wally had grabbed Dick by the hand and tugged him away.

Iris was about to object, but never got the chance. Sometimes her son was too fast even for her. She chuckled and crossed her arms, eyes fondly following the hyper duo who both were far from tired and still wanted to spend the day together. She glanced at Barry who shrugged his shoulders with a small smile.

Bruce entered the hallway seconds later, eyes travelling to the recognisable sound of his boy's laugh and Wally's cheering. He buried his hands down into his pockets, glanced at the couple and didn't let go of a single expression as the doorbell sounded throughout the house. Iris and Barry exchanged puzzled looks.

The red haired woman then turned and opened the door. "Alfred!" she exclaimed, eyes blinking.

"Miss Iris," the butler acknowledged with a proper tone, bowing slightly. He then held up a red backpack, adorned by Robin's symbol. "The master asked me to bring this. I believe that the boys have long been wishing for a sleepover. Trust me, I am just as surprised as you that Bruce asked this of me. It was very unexpected."

Barry and Iris were speechless. Had the Batman just agreed to let his precious boy sleep over at their house? Now, it was no secret, even for Iris, that such had not happened since Bruce took in the boy and somehow developed an intense urge to have him close enough for him to always keep a watch.

The redhead turned her head and blinked at the billionaire. "Oh… well, sure, we'd love to have Robin over, but we had no idea you…" Iris trailed off, not fully knowing how to continue. She therefore cleared her throat and tried not to meet Bruce's expression. The Dark Knight's look was fairly unreadable.

"I have decided that Robin is in need of a… _friend_ that knows him for… well, _him_. The moment he was adopted by me his secret identity has been more of a façade rather than his own personality. Hence, I've decided to let your son know."

Without another word, the Caped Crusader accepted the backpack from his butler who then retreated. Thereafter he headed for the room where he knew the children were playing. Once more Barry and Iris exchanged bewildered glances, but followed nonetheless. Barry squeezed his wife's shoulder reassuringly, as if to promise that after some time she'd get used to Batsy's blunt nature.

The boys were going through the various DVDs Wally had gotten through the years, seemingly trying to settle for one film they wanted to see. As determined as they were, Dick and Wally normally knew exactly what they wanted to spend their time watching, but today the boys were having a harder time. Their sugar-level was still high after all that cake. Bruce had been surprised Dick had eaten as much as he did; the kid was, usually, more of a small-eater.

As Bruce stepped into the room, dark-blue eyes instantly glanced up. The billionaire had to remind himself to praise the young one for his excellent reflexes.

"Are we going? Please don't say we're going! I don't wanna go, Dad!" pouted Dick, lip sticking out. That boy sure was mischievous and knew exactly what buttons to push. This time, however, Bruce had done most of the convincing himself.

"Actually, I have been doing some thinking," Bruce spoke up. He kneeled and motioned for Dick to come to him. The dark haired boy looked to his best friend, and then reluctantly moved forward toward his adoptive father. The five-year-old tilted his head to the side as the Batman continued by saying: "I've decided that he can know."

"Know what?"

The dark blue eyes of Dick Wayne-Grayson were confused, but soon his young mind caught up. He let go of a small gasp and instantly took hold of the Caped Crusader's sleeve. He tugged it, as if he didn't quite believe what Bruce had just said. "Y-you mean it? C-can I? Can I really?"

Bruce raised his gaze, dark orbs shifting themselves onto the small speedster in the room. Wally's expression was clear as the day. The child was confused, and hadn't it been for the fact that Batman was sort of scary – even when he was this tall, slightly less intimidating male with sunglasses – his curiosity would have gotten the better of him.

Despite the great amount of consumed cake that was working its way through his system, however, Wally stayed put. His mom and dad were standing behind Batman and judging by the way they smiled something good was going to happen. Although he was lively, and fast on his feet, impatient and sometimes thought before speaking, Wally was rather intelligent. He knew something great was ahead.

After one of the longest minutes in Dick Wayne-Grayson's life, Bruce nodded his head with a slight tug of lips. The brunet, now getting his suspicions confirmed, leaped into his adoptive father's arms, hugging him tightly. "Thank you!" he squealed. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Hearing the excitement, Bruce couldn't help to chuckle quietly, but only so Dick could feel the comfort of his vibrating chest whilst he was still within his embrace. Then, the little acrobat had broken free and ran up to his best friend whose face was still plagued by confusion.

"My name's Richard, but everyone calls me Dick, 'cause it's shorter," Robin hurriedly said, his grin so wide that Wally was taken aback by it.

Soon enough, however, the eight-year-old redhead blinked, suddenly realising what had just occurred. "Rob, did you just tell me your name?" he asked and now he was grinning too, green eyes glowing brightly in excitement.

"Yup!" Dick's hand shot out as he grinned. "My name's Dick!"

"Awesome!"

Wally knew how much of a big deal this was and quickly hugged his best friend, who easily returned it. They jumped up and down in excitement; to them, this was something both had wanted ever since their first week together. Some friends just clicked that way and when it came to these two that was more than a little accurate

Sighing, Bruce stood up from his kneeling position, eyes darting over the pair who hurriedly spoke in-between themselves. Now that Wally had gotten the name, Bruce didn't doubt Dick would tell him of what happened. The child spoke of his mother and father's death more lightly after nearly two years. This was mostly because he and Alfred had raised Dick in a way that made him understand that keeping the hurt inside wouldn't help.

It was rather humorous, really, that he had taught Dick about not shunning the truth, when he, himself, had closed up and kept away from everyone who cared about him. But maybe it was natural? He didn't want a lonely, cold life for Dick. Bruce wanted to see that smile he adorned now every day, not only to remind him that Dick's life was good, but that _his_ had developed the same way after the young acrobat entered the picture.

Yes, he had done the right thing.

"Dick," Bruce spoke up, gaining the boy's attention. He and Wally had stopped their jumping seconds ago, both starting to feel the tiring aftermath of a sugar rush. The boy instantly ran up to him when the billionaire showed the backpack with the Robin symbol. He had been too excited to notice it before.

"Hey, that's my backpack," Dick said with a smile as Bruce handed it to him. "And it smells goodie! Did Alfred make cookies?"

"Most likely."

A large hand ruffled Dick's dark hair, not caring that the Flash and his wife were observing it all. He had exposed his affection toward Richard in front of Allen a long time ago and since their sons had become such close friends he supposed trying to behave reserved toward his own child wouldn't be necessary. In a twisted kind of way, he and Barry Allen had crossed another line, meaning they were one step closer to something similar to a friendship.

"But why?" Dick frowned. "I thought we were going home, Daddy?"

"Actually, I know how much you've wanted to sleep over and since Mr and Mrs. Allen said it was all right, I suppose it would only be fair to say yes." Bruce tried to hide that he found it a bit difficult to utter these words. It wasn't that he didn't trust Barry to keep the boys safe… Okay, maybe it was. He determinedly thought the Flash could never measure up to protecting _his_ boy.

Nevertheless, he could tone his paranoia down… At least a bit of it.

"Is Ro- Dick gonna sleep over?" Wally's look of excitement when hearing his best friend's name seemed greatly toned down after seeing _this_ expression on the red haired boy. He punched the air whilst he spun around. "This is the best birthday _ever_!"

"You mean it?" Dick's blue eyes lit up like the stars themselves.

"If you behave."

"I swear!" Dick promised, buzzing with his own eagerness.

"Then, yes, I mean it."

**-o-**

After calming the boys down somewhat, Iris and Barry took Wally to the kitchen, mentioning to Bruce about giving him a glass of warm milk before going to bed. Apparently, this helped them keep the energetic child at ease during night-time. Smart, if Bruce had to say so himself. Having speedster child seemed far more troubling than what it was worth. Then again, had Dick been a speedster he supposed he would have done what he could to give the boy a proper sleep as well.

Not that he would have ended up adopting Dick if he_ had_ turned out to be a speedster. Then he, undoubtedly, would have asked Barry to take him in, blut as he was.

But that was beside the point. Thinking of various ways he _wouldn't_ have adopted Dick was not pleasant. The boy had been his light in life ever since arriving and therefore he was just glad things had turned out the way they had. The only reason why he wouldn't have adopted Dick that he accepted was if either of the boy's parents had survived.

He watched fondly as Richard stood by the door, ready to see him off. He knew Alfred was probably tired of waiting by now and would appreciate if they got a move on. Naturally, they would zeta over the car and themselves thanks to the Watchtower, but they had a ride ahead of them either way. To zeta they would head for the nearest tube that could take a whole car, which was located approximately three hours away from Central City. Whoever had decided for that spot he would have a talk with later.

"You sure you want this?" Bruce asked as he grabbed his coat. As he put it on, he glanced down at his precious chid. "You could wait… until it was not so… unexpected."

Hadn't he just forced his butler to come here so that Dick would have the stuff necessary for a sleepover? Yes, yes he had, so asking this made him feel sort of stupid, but it just happened. Dick was going to sleep miles away from his home – from _him_. Tons of things could go wrong that could cause the death of the one person that now kept his life together.

It would be selfish to change his mind now though, so he didn't ask any further when Dick shook his head and said that he would_ not_ be going home with them. Bruce accepted this.

When the coat was closed tightly around him, he crouched down to his son's eyelevel and took him into his big arms. Dick returned the hug gladly, wrapping his legs around the strong torso as Bruce lifted him up. As small as Dick was, he almost disappeared when the billionaire's arms shielded him like this. The acrobat didn't mind though and instead circled his small arms around Bruce's strong neck.

"Love you, Daddy," murmured the boy, shutting his eyes as he smiled. "You're the best!"

The Batman rocked him in his arms, pressing him even tighter to him and whispered in Dick's ear: "I love you too."

Then, he gently put the child down. He was about to turn, but Dick grabbed his sleeve before he could. For a moment he looked unsure, as if he regretted his decision, but then he got that determined gleam Bruce swore not many children could possess. Dick was stubborn, just like he, himself, was.

"Did Alfred pack Jet with him? And the picture of my mommy and daddy?" Dick enquired.

"Of course," Bruce answered and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Oh-okay, then I'm ready."

The Dark Knight smirked. The five-year-old had refused to sleep anywhere without his stuffed Bat and the framed photo of his family, so naturally he had asked Alfred to bring it along. "I'm sure it's in the backpack, but save the cookies for tomorrow. You've eaten enough sugar for one day."

Pouting, Dick tugged on Bruce's hand. "Come on. Just one?"

"No."

"_Pleeeeease_."

"Dick, I said no…."

"_Pretty pleeeeeeaaase…_"

And there came those puppy-dog eyes again. Bruce grimaced. How was he supposed to raise this boy if he could manipulate him this easily? Then again, it was just a cookie. During important matters he was sure he could resist.

Hopefully.

He leaned down, planted a kiss on the youngster's forehead and thereafter opened the door. "Fine, take a cookie, but only one."

"Wally's gonna eat more than that," grinned Dick.

"You're the Batman's kid – prove you can protect the cookies," Bruce said seriously in a joking manner. He swore, if any of his colleagues had seen him now they would not believe he was the same intimidating hero they dealt with on a daily basis.

Giggling, Dick asked: "Is that a mission, Batman?"

"Your very first. Now get to work."

"Yes, sir!"

The future-to-be-sidekick spun on his heels and sprinted toward the kitchen. Bruce watched after him with a fond look, hand resting on the doorknob. Then, after sighing for himself, the billionaire exited the Allen household. If Dick should come home displeased he could just maim Flash _accidently_ during one of their missions.

Whilst his father departed, Dick made his way to the kitchen. There he found his best friend in his usual chair, sipping on something within a merchandised Flash mug. Dick hoisted himself up in the chair, where he stood on his small legs, looming over the red mug. The content was white and looked warm.

"What is that?" he asked, frowning. Just then Iris put a mug in front of him as well.

"Warm milk. Try!" Wally said as Dick sniffed a bit at the content within it. Alfred had never given him this before, just ordinary cold milk, and sometimes cocoa. Sure he and Bruce had coffee and tea, but that stuff was nasty. He had tried once. The coffee was bitter and disgusting, while tea was just… boring. It didn't taste much at all.

The redhead snickered when Dick just studied the steaming drink. Then Iris sat down beside him and chuckled. "You want some honey in it, Dick?"

"Honey?" Dick tilted his head. "Uhm, okay."

He watched Iris take the mug and swirled a spoon with honey around in it. Then, she handed it back to him. Dick blew at it and then hesitantly drank. It was warm, but sweet. Noticing that Wally was looking curiously at him, he turned and blinked. "What?"

"Well, what do ya think?" Wally asked.

"It's yum!"

"Totally!"

They giggled, and then continued with their drinks. Barry and Iris watched fondly as they sipped the drink, noticing how they both slumped down in their seats. With a smile Iris leaned her head on Barry's shoulder. "Someone's tired," she noted with a slight laugh.

She was right. Not long after both had consumed the hot drink, they started yawning constantly. "I'll put the boys to bed," Barry said, before serving his wife a kiss on the cheek. Iris returned it by sending him a grateful look.

With a childish gleam in his eyes, Barry took hold of both unprepared kids. They squealed as he hoisted them over his shoulders. "Okay, boys! The Flash express is in session. Next stop – Wally's bed!"

"Daaad!" complained Wally with a laugh as he tried to break through from his father's hold.

The last Iris saw of the boys was a blur as Barry sped them upstairs. Once there, he finally put them down. Wally playfully started to hit him, but the young speedster was too tired. Soon is moves were way too sloppy to even hurt a fly. "Sorry, kiddo, but you're way out of spunk," the Flash joked with a smile. He then crouched down and poked them both in the forehead. "Now, undress and brush your teeth. I'll put on some new sheets and find Dick a pillow and a duvet, kay?"

"Okay," Dick yawned. He had now completely forgotten about the cookies. All he wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep. He reasoned that he and Wally could share them tomorrow when they woke up early to watch cartoons.

With distracted, slow movements the kids made themselves ready for bed. When Barry returned they had just finished brushing, whilst left the oldest speedster to clean their faces from toothpaste. Wally kept complaining that now that he was eight, he was _way_ too old for this, but Barry had done so even before his son had any chance at protesting.

Soon they were both dressed in their pyjamas; Robin's adorned by the Batman logo and Wally's by the Flash logo. Barry had been surprised Dick even owned Batman merchandise considering what Bruce meant of it.

"All right you two, I don't want you to stay up all night talking," the speedster said as he watched the two youngsters crawl into bed. He sat down and grinned at Wally who was already burying his nose into his pillow. He stroked his hand through the red mass of hair and then through Dick's own dark locks.

The acrobat smiled. Barry was like an uncle. Always fun and caring. Sometimes he wondered why Daddy didn't like him so much. Then again, his dad acted like that toward his other colleague as well. Even Uncle Ollie, Uncle Clark, and Auntie Dinah…

"Good night, Dad," Wally murmured.

"Good night, Champ." Barry kissed Wally's forehead, and then ruffled his hair. "Sleep tight."

Dick hadn't expected the speedster to plant a kiss on his forehead too, but he definitely didn't mind. He grinned up at the Flash who poked his nose, before standing up. However, no sooner had he done so, before Wally had suddenly made a noise and grabbed for his father's sleeve.

"Dad! You promised you'd tell me how Flash defeated Captain Cold and Zoom when they teamed up with Weather Wizard! You _promised_."

"Come on, kiddo, you're tired. I can tell you-"

"_No_, this is Dick's first sleepover." Wally crossed his arms. "And no sleepover at our house is real unless he gets to hear a Flash bedtime story."

Sighing, Barry shook his head. He supposed the kid was right. "Okay, you two, scoot over so I can lie in between you." The children quickly obliged and then Barry lay down on his back in-between them. When both boys were leaning comfortably against him, the Flash began his tale.

He didn't stop until he was certain they'd had their eyes closed for quite some time.

Then he carefully wriggled out of their hold, folded the duvet around each of them, and departed. But, he left the door slightly ajar, so a small stream of light graced their faces. This way they knew were to run if they should ever need him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Don't _ever_ underestimate the power of a Flash bedtime story! I probably would have slept better if _my_ parents had told them when I was young. Then again, it took me five minutes to explain to my mom why I wanted a Flash hoodie so I don't think they're really good when it comes to superheroes…

Urgh, enough with my ranting! So, uhm, first I thought I should leave it there… but… well, if you guys _want_ I can add some extra stuff to this. I have ideas scribbled down for this universe so I can use some of them to form a third part, I'm sure, if the interest is there!

**So yeah, tell me if you're interested in more parts for "Child's Day" through a review! :)**


	3. Part: III

**Info: **This is _not_ set on Earth-16 canon verse. It's my own little universe and is the fourth part of what I have called "The Child Series." The other three are named: "Child's Gift," "Child's Mind" & "Child's Play". Please do read those as well.

**Note: **This story doesn't have a beta and I was exhausted when proofreading, so _please_, if you find any typos, mistakes, whatever - be free to point them out. I'll edit as soon as possible.

* * *

><p><strong>Child's Day<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Part: III<strong>

**-o-**

Gotham City, 2004

To be honest, Alfred had suspected this. Ever since they had accepted the boy into their lives, Bruce had not taken lightly to leaving him out of his sight. Well, at least after they formed the bond necessary for them both to deal with the grief that lay within both hearts (this grief Bruce had, naturally, contained a lot longer).

The butler sighed out, his experienced eyes glancing over at Bruce's restless body. The Batman had been pacing around in his cave ever since they'd returned to Gotham City. Now, Alfred had been serving the Wayne Household for a long, _long_ time, but he couldn't recall ever seeing his ward this eager to take on a case.

If there had _been_ a case. The fact that it _weren't_ any seemed to be the problem. Gotham was simply quiet tonight. There were hardly any robberies worth taking a look at. And those who occurred were so harmless that the police would have them handled even before the Batman reached his destination.

Alfred saw no reason for Bruce's anxiety. There were plenty of things the billionaire could do on a quiet day. After all, they were so rare that Bruce surely had a list of what to do when he first got a day off. Then again, Alfred had recalled that he'd mentioned that from now on – every free minute he possessed he would spend with Richard.

It was very… touching to say the least. Sentimentality was, without a doubt, not a regular occurrence when it came to Bruce, _the Batman_.

Alfred had been very pleased when he heard of Bruce's decision regarding his free time. Yet, he, currently, caught himself thinking that having a list of _Things to Do When Dick is Not Present, _was _not_ such a bad idea.

It _could_ happen. Especially now since the boy had finally gotten some friends around his own age.

"If I may, Master Bruce," Alfred spoke up, gaining the pacing Batman's attention, if only barely. "Maybe such a time – in which you seem to have been lucky enough to have some _spare time_ on your hands – should be done catching up on some very much required _sleep_."

The Batman raised an eyebrow at his butler. "_Sleep_?" he repeated. "Alfred…"

"The Justice League has no serious matter at hand, there is no child to distract you, no attacks on Gotham, Wayne Industries is currently running as smoothly as ever… Master Bruce, you'll soon enough be drowning in work. I see no serious harm in getting some extra hours? You will, doubtlessly, be in use for it later."

As usual, Alfred was full of wisdom. Bruce threw a look at the screen; no Batsignal, no _nothing_. He supposed that he _could_ be in need of some hours of sleep. Usually, Alfred kept track of his sleepless nights just so he could make sure the Dark Knight never pushed it too far.

Even so, when he stopped up and let his body simply _feel_… Well, it _had_ been a while since he slept peacefully. And tomorrow there would be no early wake-ups either. Not that he _minded_ to wake up to the wonderful scene that was his young boy tugging on his duvet, but sleeping to past 6 AM was rather _tempting_.

He had no cases that needed attention, and thus his mind would be less troubled as well.

Yes, maybe he should take an early night.

He sent his butler a look that stated his agreement in the suggestion and then headed off to remove his costume. It had been no purpose in donning it in the first place, but that he could deal with. Undressing from the heavy suit had long since become like second nature to him.

Quickly enough, after a refreshing shower and dressing into his pyjama bottoms, Bruce Wayne sat down onto his king sized bed. The silk felt good as he traced his fingers over it, tempting him more, urging him to just get in already. Even so, he hesitated… He _could_ check on the tracer he had on Dick. Just to make sure he was still where he was _supposed_ to be…

Alfred would disapprove, but…

It wasn't _his_ fault that his thoughts always wandered over to the most unpleasant places whenever he couldn't fully keep track of his adopted child. He was a possessive, protective creature by nature… Of course, only to those he cared for, which weren't too many, but if there was one that came into the category it was Dick Wayne Grayson.

He brought up his pocket-phone, and activated the barely noticeable tracer he _knew_ still hung onto his son's ankle. He didn't know exactly what he'd expected. When the screen lit up, the red dot that showed the position of Dick lay, as suspected, in Central City, the Allen Household.

Grumbling under his breath, the Batman placed his phone away and tried to relax in his bed. Dark eyes glared up at the ceiling as he sighed deeply. _Get some sleep, Wayne,_ he told himself, his eyelids closing. _Tomorrow he's coming back_.

Not that he _missed_ Dick or anything.

Central City, 2004

**-o-**

The rain had started out of nowhere. It was unusual for it to occur so abruptly in Central City and a bit unexpected too since snow had roamed the sky for an entire week. Most citizens were, however, asleep when the forceful droplets made its appearance from the sky.

Atop the Allen House the rain drummed against the roof, making it sound throughout the entire household. It was because of this Dick Wayne Grayson slowly awoke from his peaceful sleep. The young boy blinked for a minute, before he rose from his comfortable spot on the bed. Dark blue eyes looked dazed around in the bedroom, only partly registering where he was.

The brunet quickly came to realise that this was not his own bed, nor his own room. Also, that he wasn't alone. Dick quickly glanced over at Wally. The eight-year-old was hugging what looked like a white plush-rabbit. It had a red t-shirt on, and the Flash symbol adorned it. He looked peaceful and content.

Dick grabbed hold of his own stuffed animal, which he couldn't remember being there before. Uncle Barry had probably handed both the rabbit and Jet the Bat to them when he and Wally had fallen asleep. It was comforting, sure, but Dick found himself waking up with a feeling he _hated_.

The feeling of loneliness. Sometimes, the five-year-old would wake up with the pain clawing at his chest; he felt isolated and scared without an apparent reason. Bruce had told him it was normal; people who had witnessed what they had, who had experienced the feeling of complete and utter lonesomeness, could wake up like that without a nightmare being involved.

Dick, young as he was, found it very unfair. Why should he have to wake up with this horrible feeling inside of him even when he _didn't_ have nightmares? And, especially, so when Bruce was out of reach. In fact, his Daddy was hundreds of miles, and many, many, _many_ hours away from him.

It made Dick feel nauseous just thinking about it. He let out a whimper and pulled his legs toward himself, trapping his stuffed animal to his chest. He sniffled, closed his eyes and buried his nose into the softness. He was such a wimp. Daddy would be disappointed. How could _he_ be Robin; someday the great sidekick to _Batman_ if he was acting like a baby? He would soon be _six_.

The young boy whimpered again, a tear escaping from behind his eyelids. He felt ashamed for letting them drop, but he felt so… so… _alone_. Even _if_ Wally was sleeping beside him. He felt as if the darkness surrounding him wanted to engulf and eat him – he _hated_ this. He was so young that trying to understand why he felt this way became nearly impossible.

He was just a frightened, little kid; concerned that what his adoptive father – who was _the Caped Crusader _for God's sake – would think if he ever found out how much of a coward he was. Dick's tears fell faster now, since he couldn't stop thinking of Bruce's disappointed look. Did Daddy think that of him when he woke him up in the middle of the night and crept into his bed, which he probably would have done now if it weren't for the fact that Bruce was miles away?

His dad certainly hadn't acted as if it bothered him before… But Bruce was so kind and… a hero. Of course, he would be nice, even if he found him… disappointing and… wimpy.

Dick hadn't realised he was actually crying a lot before he felt a hand against his shoulder. He instantly looked up, blue eyes meeting Wally's green ones. The freckled boy was blinking confused. "Robbie, what's wrong?" he asked, his own rabbit tucked under his arm. "Why are you crying? Do you have a stomach-ache?"

"N-no," Dick murmured, sniffing as he bought his sleeve up, lightly wiping his tears. "Just… sad."

"Why?" Wally cocked his head to the side, feeling helpless as he watched his best friend try to hide the teardrops. He quickly pulled Dick into a hug, and let the younger boy rest his head on his shoulder. It used to help him whenever he was sad and it was his Daddy who hugged _him _like this.

"I-I miss my mommy and daddy," murmured the young boy and sniffled once more. Again, he felt so weak. Wally never cried. He just got mad at anyone who tried to push him around. So did Conner… and Roy… And Kaldur was very grown-up; he could handle himself no matter what. Why couldn't he be like them? Why did _he_ have to be the youngest?

"I didn't know Batman had a wife!" Wally blinked. "Whose your mommy?"

The acrobat bit his lip and then more tears came rolling. Confused and at loss of what to do, Wally withdrew and quickly said: "I can get Dad real quick and he can call Batman so he can come pick you up and you can go home to your-"

Quickly, Dick reached out and grabbed Wally by the arm to make sure he didn't move. Sometimes the speedster tended to run off before he finished his sentences and Dick didn't want him to leave. "Don't, Wally," he said, hugging the redhead. "Don't go."

"Then what do you want? You're _crying_."

Dick pulled a bit away and started fumbling with Jet the Bat. Wally's eyes drifted off to his own stuffed animal. He bit his lip, before he quietly said: "Do you think it's weird I have Flash Bunny now that I'm eight?"

"No. Why would that be weird?"

"Because I'm too old?"

"You're not too old to have a friend in your bed," Dick said confidently, his tears becoming fewer by the minute. He inhaled through his nose to prevent the snot from dripping. He then glanced down at his bat plush in his lap and stroked it. "It makes you feel… better, right?"

Wally nodded. His previous worry about what Dick would think of his stuffed animal lay long forgotten. Instead, he studied his smaller best friend's teary face. This wasn't how he'd thought they'd wake up, but he did as he'd been taught. He comforted and continued to let Dick rest against him. It felt warmer and safer for the both of them, actually.

"You… you wanna know why I miss my mommy and daddy?" the Gothamite asked after a long time. Or at least it felt like that for the young speedster.

Wally nodded, frowning concerned. "Yeah."

"Because… they died… I said before I had two daddies and one mommy, remember?"

Now that he mentioned it, Wally _did_ remember. Dick had said so, like he had said, himself, that he had two mommies and two daddies. They never got into detail about it because they were very easily distracted and usually Dick was never sad when he thought of his biological parents in the speedster's presence.

At this moment, however, Wally knew that his given birth name was Richard Grayson. He knew and because of that Dick didn't feel uncomfortable about telling him the truth. The little five-year-old simply said: "Mommy and Daddy worked at the circus. They trained me to be an acrobat, but one day… a bad, bad man he… he cut into the trapeze when they were practicing. He did it when the Joker had started a fire so it would look like an accident."

Wally's eyes were wide as he looked at Dick. The boy sounded very mature as he talked about this, probably because the Batman had involved him quite a lot in this case. Anything else would have been unexpected considering that Dick was indeed their son.

"So he killed your mommy and daddy?" Wally said quietly; he looked mad; downright _angry_ that anyone could do that to his best pal. "But Batman took him right? _Right_?"

Dick nodded. "Yeah. Batman took him and he's never coming out of prison. At least that's what Daddy says when I… think about it." He felt a bit warmer and better now that he'd spoken to Wally. Especially so when the older boy hugged him. He really was the bestest friend ever.

"My first parents are dead too," Wally murmured finally. "But they're okay. I'm lucky that I have two moms and dads, right?"

"Yeah," Dick smiled a bit forcefully. "I got lucky and got a new Daddy too."

"And he's _Batman_. He took the bad man who killed your parents, and now you're going to be a hero too," Wally said; as usual the redhead's voice was eager, but at a more quiet level than usually. He grinned and held up his fist. He had taught Dick how this gesture worked a long time ago, so the younger of the two quickly put his own fist to his. "So, don't be sad, okay?"

"I'm not anymore," Dick responded with a smile. He yawned a bit and then lay down, Wally following him. They pulled their stuffed animals close and Dick reached out his hand. Wally grasped it and they smiled. "You're like my big brother, Wally."

"I always wanted a brother."

"Me too."

They grinned at each other, snuggling a bit closer to the warmth. Dick had never had someone at his own age that treated him like this. It felt nice. And, since he was pretty sure that it was possible to _make_ your own family instead of _having_ to be related, the five-year-old Richard Wayne Grayson decided Wally West-Allen would be his big brother. Now and forever.

"G'night, Wally."

"G'night, Dick…" Kid Flash bit his lip. "Do you want to borrow Flash Bunny?"

"It's okay; he's yours."

"I don't mind sharing."

Dick smiled. "Nah, it's okay."

Despite hearing this, Wally subtly pushed the bunny to right below Dick's chin. The younger boy giggled at his best friend's stubbornness. He then opened his arms and accepted the stuffed animal. "Thank you," he whispered quietly. He sniffled once more, wiped the last bit of tears, and didn't protest when Wally pulled the duvet over them both.

He was lucky. Now, he had a big brother, uncles and aunts, a Daddy, and a grandfather. Even when he'd lost his parents they would be happy to see how he had so many people in his life that cared and loved him.

"See ya tomorrow, Dickie," Wally whispered. He then yawned and the boys fell asleep.

-o-

When Barry Allen awoke the next morning he had not expected to find two small boys curled up against his chest, nor to find the TV in their bedroom on, playing Spiderman as high as ever. The fact that his own wife seemed to be absent was just as unexpected actually. Well, up until the moment he saw a note hanging on his lamp. He blinked at it, threw a look down at his sleeping boy, which he made sure to pull a bit closer to himself with a soft smile, and then grabbed the note.

He read it over, before sighing deeply. Apparently, Iris had been called in for work and had to leave. The boys had been up so she had put the TV on, but, apparently, they had fallen asleep again seeing as they were snuggling close to his sides, both having stuffed animals tucked underneath their armpits.

The Scarlet Speedster yawned tiredly, his eyes now directing themselves at the clock. _8 AM_, and on his _day off_? Yeah, he was definitely going to sleep a bit longer. Especially so when the boys resting so quietly. He made himself more uncomfortable against the cushions, smiled and then pulled the sleeping Dick and Wally closer, making sure the duvet covered them both.

Although he was rather tired, Barry Allen found himself studying the two sleeping children. They looked so peaceful, and, frankly, _adorable_. He wondered if maybe this was the kind of situation he should take pictures? You know, so he could use them to embarrass them both once they reached the teenage years and would, most likely, rebel.

If that was the case, Bruce would probably want some too.

Chuckling, Barry shook his head. Wally was still eight. He had plenty of time for blackmail pictures. Iris had, most likely, a great deal of them in Wally's album already. He felt bad he hadn't exactly _looked_ at that yet though… He would do it later. Just so he could clarify if it really was valid to say that he had blackmail material to use against his son once he reached a rebellious stage.

He had no idea how long he'd slept, but it didn't feel like much when he was abruptly startled awake later on. A chocolate chip cookie was the first thing that met him, blocking the view of anything else. "Hey, Daddy!" Wally's cheery voice sounded. Berry glanced to his side, met his son's happy-face and then sighed.

"You're not going to let me sleep, are you, buddy?" the Scarlet Speedster murmured, forcing a small, tired smile. He needed coffee.

"Nope!"

"Didn't think so." He propped himself up on his elbows to get a better overview of his bedroom. Dick was seated on the foot of the bed, a cookie jar in one hand and Jet the Bat in the other. "You guys hungry?"

"We have cookies," Dick said, turning his head to look at his uncle-figure with a big grin.

"So I can see," chuckled the Flash as he stretched his arms up in the air. He felt stiff, probably because he'd been sleeping beside the boys up until the moment they had started watching TV. "But they aren't pancakes!"

"Pancakes!" the redheaded boy cheered.

Dick just beamed as Barry got out of bed and said: "So, who wants to ride the Flash express?"

"Oh, no, _run_!" Wally yelled. He then grabbed his younger best friend by the arm and spurted downstairs.

They believed that one tour with the Flash express has been more than enough, while Barry could only snicker. At least he knew exactly what to say to get them to move. He would be sure to remember that for future use.

Deciding not to bother changing clothes, Barry speeded downstairs, quickly making coffee while the kids jumped into the chairs by the table. "Hey, Wally, will you lay the table?" Barry asked, throwing a look over his shoulder as he found the ingredients needed for the pancakes.

All he received was a giant grin from his young son. Dick could only watch amazed as the speedsters worked. Although Barry could not exactly speed up the process of making pancakes after the mix was done it still went far quicker than the acrobat was used to. His blue eyes blinked once and already Wally was done with the most of the table.

Seconds later, plates, glasses, milk, juice, batter, syrup, _everything_ was in place. It sure was an efficient way of having breakfast. For a five-year-old it was very amusing watching everything happen so fast; it certainly was quite a contrast to Alfred's proper, more time-consuming work in the kitchen.

Soon enough, the Flash served homemade pancakes to the youngsters who cheered with glee. Just as Barry put syrup on his own breakfast, the door opened and Iris's voice sounded through the house. "Boooys, I'm home!"

"In the kitchen!" Barry answered, sending the boys an amused look. Half their faces were sticky by now.

"Hi, Mom!"

"Hi, Aunt Iris!"

"Hello, sweeties!" Iris poked her head inside, and then smiled warmly at the view. She wasn't sure how much she appreciated the sticky, syrup-covered faces of her son and, sort-of-like-nephew possessed, but she could deal. Chuckling, she shook her head and grabbed a couple of napkins. "Barry, I hope you know _how_ to clean their faces and that this is a result of boredom if anything."

"Relax, honey; it's not like they're going to stay clean for long." The Flash grinned at her and Iris could merely roll her eyes. However, there was a lot of truth in Barry Allen's words. She studied the boys' faces and then handed them a napkin each.

"Doesn't mean they can't keep it in check as we go."

Barry could only smile.

-o-

"They're out in the garden."

Bruce Wayne merely glanced up, his dark eyes looking over Barry Allen's beaming face. The blond man looked relaxed enough, indicating that the boys hadn't done any permanent, upsetting damage. He supposed that was a relief, though his hope of Dick scaring Barry to the point where the Flash would never let him close to his house again was deeply crushed.

Sighing, he walked inside, following Barry's lead to the back of the house. There they stepped out on the porch. Across the lawn, the boys were playing around whilst throwing a ball at one another and occasionally a wrestling match would occur. They were both dressed in raincoats since small droplets would still slip down from the sky and since the lawn was moist and soft.

As Bruce watched them play silently, Barry went inside to fetch them some coffee. Sometimes, the billionaire found it a bit unbelievable how _normal_ it seemed. He supposed this was how regular parents did this. They let their kids sleep over, and when they fetched them shared a cup of coffee while _chatting_. Of course, the Batman didn't _chat_ with the Flash. Oh no.

League business was in order.

"So, Bats why-"

"There was a break-in."

Flash's expression abruptly changed and he tilted his head to the side. He leaned his back over the railing, taking a sip of his coffee cup. "In Gotham?" he questioned slowly, starting to wonder if this was about Bruce being a bit later than first intended. After all, it was noon and he had expected the Bat to be present early in the morning.

"No." Bruce's lips pursed. "At the kindergarten."

Barry's body froze as he turned to look at Bruce. "A break-in? But… that's impossible. The day-care is one of the safest place in the world, Bruce. We made sure of that. I was _there_. No one can get past those force fields, not after you, J'onn, Tornado… well, _everyone_ who knows how to work them helped putting it up." When all Flash received was an angry frown, he added: "Wow… it really did happen?"

"Do you really think I would have mentioned it if it _didn't_?" Now, Flash couldn't argue with that logic. He ran a hand through his blond hair, casting a glance over at Wally and Dick, before turning to look at Batman again. "But it's weekend… why would someone – if they _could_ – break in when there was no one there?"

"That's the thing, Allen," Bruce murmured. "They didn't take anything. The security cameras were turned off, the shield gone… Nothing was out of place other than that. And…" Batman's eyes narrowed further. "Our system is down."

"The entire-?"

"No. Just all data obtainable from the small computer stored in the day-care."

"That… doesn't make any sense at all."

"You're right; it doesn't. Whoever did this wasn't even a skilled hacker, nor had any clear motive. Being on that computer could easily have given him or her access to the Watchtower. Even so, that isn't the case."

Barry understood now why Bruce's was stiffer than usual, and why he hadn't made his presence known for his son. He was caught in thoughts, most likely trying his best to figure out why anyone would complete such an extraordinary feat and yet not use the knowledge one _could_ gain for any use.

It was troubling to say the least.

Both Leaguers fell silent as they studied the boys playing around. They stayed like this for a long time, only watching them and were fascinated over how lost Wally and Dick were in what they were doing.

Then, suddenly, two pair of eyes found them in a brief moment. It certainly caught the youngest boy's attention. "Daddy!" he uttered gleefully, dashing over the lawn with his hands stretched out.

The Flash found himself witnessing a very… _special_ moment. It wasn't often one saw Batman's brooding, thoughtful look go to soft and caring. _In fact_, one didn't see Batman soft and caring at all. Most of the time. After their sons had interacted it turned out it wasn't as downright shocking and special anymore.

Nevertheless, Barry always watched intensely.

"Daddy! Daddy! It was _awesome_! Wally and I ate cookies, and watched TV, and Uncle Barry made pancakes like, _super fast_, and it was _so much fun_!"

Dick abruptly inhaled, his hands clutching the billionaire's pant-leg. Bruce put his finger to his lips. "All right, son, breathe." He then crouched down and took the eager child into his arms. This instantly caused the boy to embrace the billionaire around his neck, smiling happily.

"I'm glad you had a good time," the Bat murmured into Dick's ear, causing the young boy to smile. Although it had been fantastic to attend his very first sleepover, Dick had missed his adoptive father. It felt good being reunited again and he couldn't wait to tell Alfred all about what he and Wally had been doing. "Now, it's time to go home!"

The adults shooed the kids inside, Bruce telling Dick to fetch his stuff. Barry had hoped for some more information about the break-in, but all he received was silence. Bruce was back to thinking. His softer composure would, without a doubt, not come through until Dick returned.

"Hi, Daddy, can you hold Jet?" Richard asked he came carrying his stuff. Barry couldn't help but chuckle at Dick's poor attempt to pack his own stuff. The backpack was stuffed to its breaking point; nothing was folded at all, and it looked like it was going to burst any minute.

Bruce shook his head and accepted the stuffed animal. He then crouched down and took Dick's bag from him. He brought the content up and folded it, hiding a small smile by his son's sheepish look. Once done, he zipped the backpack shut and handed it to Dick. "There."

"Thanks!" Robin beamed.

"Say goodbye to Wally, Dick, and thank Flash for having you over."

"Okay." Dick turned and quickly hugged Barry around the legs. The Scarlet Speedster grinned down at him. "Thank you for having me over, Uncle Barry! I'll see you soon!"

"Sure thing, kiddo," answered the speedster, before reaching down to ruffle the dark hair.

The young brunet then turned his attention to his best friend, and instantly they were in each other's faces again. Their never-ending need to talk and be close continued to baffle Bruce. It was a strong friendship they shared; especially so considering their age. It was… different. Interesting.

"For the time being the incident will be put on ice. We will discuss it further on our next meeting," Bruce murmured as the boys bid their goodbyes. Barry didn't have to ask which incident he was referring to.

"Is it safe though, Bats?" Worry shone in the speedster's green eyes. "I mean, if they know how to do it _once_…"

"That was their mistake, Flash. We are prepared; M'onna and Tantella have been ordered to contact the League if they notice the smallest of interference and Red Tornado has also volunteered to check in on a daily basis, even in the weekends. We have the situation covered."

The Flash nodded, looking less concerned now. He then put on a smile and turned to the boys. "Okay, kiddos; time for Dick to go home."

Wally pouted noticeably, and then gave his best bud one final hug out of many. Dick giggled and they fist-bumped, the younger smiling from ear to ear. "Next time, you can come to _my_ house!"

Bruce was not sure if he liked that idea, but didn't object. He would let them live in oblivious bliss for the time being. He shook Barry's hand, albeit a bit awkwardly, and then brought Dick outside. The speedsters watched them exit, Wally still pouting. Barry simply crouched down by his level and engulfed his son into his arms. They exchanged smiles.

Meanwhile, Bruce had taken his to-be sidekick outside. There Dick skipped ahead, swirling around on his toes as they headed for the zeta beam. Although his mind was clearly occupied by the latest incident handled by the Justice League, his dark eyes never left Dick's bouncing body.

It was funny how that child somehow made him put away his work to an extent that made him… relax.

Everything had changed. And Bruce was so happy it had.

"Hey, Daddy!" Dick turned and Bruce caught up to him, looking down at the smiling child. "I told Wally what happened to my first Daddy and my Mommy, because…" Suddenly, the kid blushed. "Because I woke up and felt lonely."

Hearing this, Batman frowned and crouched by his son, but didn't say anything. Dick looked at his feet and then up again, before saying. "Bruce… is it okay that Wally is my big brother even when Uncle Barry is his dad and you're mine?"

A ghost of a smile crept over Bruce's lips. "Sure, Dick. As I've told you many times; family doesn't necessarily mean you have to be related by blood. If you and Wally want to be brothers… I see no reason why you should be denied it."

Grinning, the brunet reached up his arms. "Carry me?"

Bruce chuckled. "Sure."

* * *

><p><strong>The End<strong>

* * *

><p><strong> AN:<strong> So, I'm sure the term _foreshadowing_ is not entirely greek for you guys, right? ;) Let's just say I didn't put in that league discussion between Flash and Bats just so they should have something to talk about.

Meaning, yes, the Child Series will, most likely, have a chapter fic that stretches out to a wider plot. I don't know when it will be up, but it _will_. I'm having too much fun with these young sidekicks :3

_Please_ review and tell me what you think; it would be very much appreciated! And, if you have any wishes about future one-shots in the Child Series, you are more than welcome to mention them!


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